1. TECH PARENT NEWS February 2012 TECH PARENT NEWS February 2012 Hello Tech Parents, You and your family are cordially invited to Brooklyn Tech’s 2nd Annual Auction & International Food Festival on Saturday, March 24th at Brooklyn Tech. It will be an evening of food, student performances and fundraising to support Brooklyn Tech clubs, teams and academic activities. You can buy your tickets in advance for $25 at the PTA Meetings on February 2nd and March 6th. Ticket sales at PTA meetings will be cash only. Tickets can also be purchased online using your credit card or PayPal account at our website, www. brooklyntechpta.org. The Auction Committee also needs your assistance in securing donations. Great auction items include: gift certificates, vacation packages, artwork, electronics, books, spa experiences, behind the scenes tours, jewelry, Broadway shows, household gadgets, professional services — everything! Visit the PTA website at www. brooklyntechpta.org for more information and forms. All donations received by March 6th will be featured in Tech›s Auction Brochure. We also need volunteers to plan and setup this biggest fundraiser of the year! If you can volunteer, please contact us via email at auction@ brooklyntechpta.org. Thank you for your continued support; we look forward to seeing everyone on March 24th! PTA Executive Committee Brooklyn Tech’s 2nd Annual Auction & International Food Festival
Transcript
1.TECH PARENT NEWS February 2012
TECH PARENT NEWSFebruary 2012
Hello Tech Parents,
You and your family are cordially invited to Brooklyn Tech’s 2nd Annual Auction & International Food Festival on Saturday, March 24th at Brooklyn Tech. It will be an evening of food, student performances and fundraising to support Brooklyn Tech clubs, teams and academic activities.
You can buy your tickets in advance for $25 at the PTA Meetings on February 2nd and March 6th. Ticket sales at PTA meetings will be cash only. Tickets can also be purchased online using your credit card or PayPal account at our website, www.brooklyntechpta.org.
The Auction Committee also needs your assistance in securing donations. Great auction items
include: gift certificates, vacation packages, artwork, electronics, books, spa experiences, behind the scenes tours, jewelry, Broadway shows, household gadgets, professional services — everything!
Visit the PTA website at www.brooklyntechpta.org for more information and forms. All donations received by March 6th will be featured in Tech›s Auction Brochure.
We also need volunteers to plan and setup this biggest fundraiser of the year! If you can volunteer, please contact us via email at [email protected]. Thank you for your continued support; we look forward to seeing everyone on March 24th!
PTA Executive Committee
Brooklyn Tech’s 2nd Annual Auction & International Food Festival
2. TECH PARENT NEWS February 2012
Dear Parents,
Thank you for supporting the PTA fundraising activities. These much-needed funds are used to support both the academic and extracurricular activities of our students. If you have not donated, I hope you can spare a little time to fill out the form in this bulletin and then send the check. Your actions will become the pride of your child!
In addition to fundraising (which in these times takes up a large part of our time), the PTA is also the source of information for parents and your direct connection to the administration. Please contact us at [email protected] with suggestions and questions.
DID YOU KNOW: Do you know that one of the requirements in order to graduate with a Brooklyn Tech Diploma is that each student must complete at least thirty-two extracurricular activities credit (32 points)? Find out the details here on Tech’s website: http://www.bths.edu/community_service.jsp. I hope parents will encourage their children to actively participate in extra-curricular activities and community service to cultivate their self-confidence, leadership and communication skills.
FEBRUARY 2nd - FEAST ON INFO & MORE: You are cordially invited to attend the February 2nd PTA meeting on Thursday, 6:15pm. To celebrate the Lunar New Year, we will have Beijing duck, Shanghai dumplings, Hong Kong-style dim sum and desserts. There will also be a raffle. In addition, come listen to valuable advice from Mr. Marc Williams, A.P. of English, who will show us how our students can seize strategic success. Colleges That Change Lives will present, too! You and your children cannot miss this and future PTA meetings.
家長會誠意邀請你和你的家人， 一起出席二月二日星期四的家長會會議。為慶祝農曆新年，我們準備北京填鴨、上海餃子、港式點心及甜品，到時還有抽獎活動。時間是六時十五分，地點是學校大禮堂。請大家早一點來， 我們可以互相認識，及聽取你寶貴的意見。還有Mr. Marc Williams英文科副校長會教我們策略性去奪取佳績，成功在望。加上Colleges That Change Lives大學改變人生的特別演說，你與你的小朋友都不可以錯過的一次家長會會議。
BROOKLYN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION
BROOKLYN TECH PTA • 29 Fort Greene Place, Brooklyn NY 11217 • BrooklynTechPTA.org
IMPORTANT DATES
* MARCH 24, 2012: Annual Auction & Dinner Fundraiser, 5:00–8:30pm * [donate items for auction (over $100), raffle (under $99), food and volunteer time!
Find out more at BrooklynTechPTA.org]
Online Flower and Plant sale, Last day April 27, 2012: [http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?campaign_id=9065]
PTA MEETINGS SCHEDULED TOPICS TO BE COVERED
February 2, 2012 6:30 pm Presentation from "Colleges that Change Lives"; English Department Update and Study Strategies by Mr. Marc Williams. (Catered Chinese New Year Celebration – Dinner Served)
March 6, 2012 (Tuesday)
6:30 pm Tackling College Admissions by Dr. Cheryl Paradis; About AP Tests; Call for Candidates for officers of PTA Executive Board.
April 5, 2012
6:30 pm Dealing with stress, tests. Study Strategies by Jed Applerouth. Senior Student panel shares stories of their success.
May 3, 2012
6:30 pm Presentation of Final Slate of Candidates for PTA Executive Board; Topics to be determined.
June 7, 2012
6:30 pm PTA Officer Elections.
Ongoing Fundraisers — Shop Year–Round from Home by clicking through the site links on brooklyntechpta.org. These sites will make a donation from a percentage of your purchase price. These are our easiest fundraisers! Tell friends and family all over the country! Use Tech PTA’s website to access special links to:
English Department Update: Strategies for Success!
– Mr. Marc Williams, Asst Prin.
Colleges That Change Lives
Presentation
Auction 2012 Update — buy tickets at
the meeting!
New Fundraisers … and more…
www.BrooklynTechPTA.org
5.TECH PARENT NEWS February 2012
Tackling College Admissions by Dr. Cheryl Paradis
About Advance Placement (AP) Exams – Mr. Palmer, Asst Prin.
Call for Candidates to run for 2012-13 PTA Executive Board
Auction 2012 Update —
buy tickets at the meeting!
Brooklyn Conservatory of
Music Presentation … and more…
www.BrooklynTechPTA.org
6. TECH PARENT NEWS February 2012
Brooklyn Tech Internship Program
In partnership with the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation, the Tech Internship Program is alive and well. Last year we had over 60 Internship postings on the school website with well over 150 Tech students participating in various types of internship programs throughout the school year.
As a parent you may want to check out the internship page and encourage your child to do so regularly as internship are posted all the tim. I will try and give you a brief overview.
This link takes you to the internship page. http://www.bths.edu/internships.jsp It’s located under the Guidance Tab. Here you will find an overview of the importance of internships and other useful tools.
The top rectangular grid contains the internship and working papers applications, how to prepare a high school resume and cover letter and how to prepare for an interview. The application for internships is in PDF format and must be filled out on your computer. If you do not have software for filling out a PDF, a link is provided on the site. (www.PDFescape.com – Use the unregistered version.)
All students under 18 years of age must have working papers for an internship. If your child does not have a resume, now is a good time to prepare one. The document on the website was designed for high school students in preparing a resume. It takes into account
that many of them may not have work experience, but other things they have been involved in are just as valuable. If you need to prepare a cover letter or assistance preparing for an interview, I am happy to help.
The middle rectangular grid contains the Internship locations. We focus on internships for juniors and seniors so that they get meaningful experiences that they can also use for college applications. Any internships available for freshmen or sophomores are posted in separate asection. In addition, this area contains Volunteer/Community Service Opportunities and Extra-Curricula Classes, Workshops and Programs. You can check here for places to volunteer to meet the school requirements, available summer programs and even some study abroad programs.
Parent can help support our internship program. If the company you work for hires interns for the summer or during the school year, let me know. Maybe we can make a connection to provide even more meaningful internship opportunities for Tech students.
If you have any questions regarding internships, please feel free to contact me.
Isaac Honor, Internship Coordinator Brooklyn Technical H.S. 29 Fort Greene Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217 - 718-804-6400 x1990 - 917-318-5292 Email: [email protected][email protected]
School Leadership Team Report
Did you know that your school has a School Leadership Team (SLT) that represents the interests of all Brooklyn Tech parents on important issues affecting your school? Yes, there is a SLT, and I am happy to report that it is a great way for the parents, as well as other important groups in the school, to have a voice on these important issues.
The Brooklyn Tech SLT is a group of parents, school administrators, teachers, students, and the BT alumni association, that meets once a month to discuss and vote on a long list of important issues that impact our school. At recent meetings, topics discussed have included: homework policies, grading policies, hiring of AP’s, the school’s Comprehensive Education Plan and PTA issues.
As you can see, we address many issues of great importance to all of us. And because of the way our SLT
works, all important groups, especially parents and students, have a way to comment on and make helpful changes to, school policies. Our SLT is a result of New York City rules and regulations and helps promote group input and decision making from all important constituencies at the school.
Each year parents elect four SLT members and each one of you is eligible to run in the next election near the end of the school year. Please consider running so you can help your school continue its outstanding record. I have been privileged to serve as SLT Chairperson for the past year and a half and can tell you that it has been a wonderful experience. I hope all of you will consider this as a way to be involved with your school and to help your school continue to be the great success it is.
In the fall term the College Office has processed a staggering number - over 15,000 – of applications this year, and with the use of our new Naviance system of online application processing I am happy to report that fewer students than ever before are reporting schools missing information such as transcripts or recommendation letters. During the fall term we also organized the PTA financial aid event, six after-school panel presentations and hosted over fifty colleges and university representatives who came during the school day to speak to students during their lunch periods. Colleges/ Universities involved included a broad range from Princeton, Yale, University of Notre Dame to the CUNY and SUNY campuses as well as CUNY’s prestigious Macaulay Honors College.
I would like to share some preliminary admissions news from students who applied early. Future “Technites” have been offered admissions to such fine institutions as The Cooper Union, Yale, MIT, Princeton, Wesleyan, Brown, Vassar, Cornell just to name a few. Many of our students are receiving tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship money as well.
The College Office will be sending out mid-year grades to colleges that are requesting them through the Naviance system starting Monday, February 6.
I would like to welcome Mr. Adam Stevens to the College Office. He assumed the position of Scholarship Coordinator. He has been working tirelessly assisting students in the scholarship application process. Mr. Stevens is also a social studies teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School. He is a graduate of Columbia University and has a wealth of ideas on how to support
our students with regards to scholarships and financing college costs. His hours are Monday and Friday periods 8/9 and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday periods 4/5 or period 10 by appointment which you may request via email at [email protected].
Class of 2013 Updates:
College Information Night for Junior Parents is scheduled for Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 6:30pm in the auditorium. It is highly recommended that parents of juniors attend this event. We are excited to announce that our guest speaker will be Rob Franek, publisher of The Princeton Review. He has written many books on the topic of college admissions, including The Princeton Reviews’ Best Colleges. He visits over 100 colleges a year. He regularly appears on Good Morning America, NY1 and many other news programs. We have also invited experts on topics such as testing, selecting a college, and how undergraduate institutions choose their entering class. Additionally, you will also meet the College Office staff that will be assisting you and your children through this process.
We have been fortunate to have two volunteers from Learning Leaders to work with our students in the college selection process, completing the common application as well as assisting them with the personal essay.
The College Office will be hosting the following events during the spring term. We urge you to have your children attend these events.
Classroom Presentations: The School Counselors will be visiting Junior English classes during the week
College Office Updates:
Continued on the next page.
8. TECH PARENT NEWS February 2012
of March 5, to give out information on navigating the college admission. Parents of juniors are encouraged to have follow-up discussions to keep the momentum counselors establish in the classrooms going.
Upcoming Panel Presentations: The College Office invites all students and parents to attend the Panel Presentations listed below. These presentations are a wonderful way to learn about the opportunities available at the schools represented while also networking with Admissions Representatives from these schools. (At this time, schools are TBD, please check out the “College Office” section of the bths.edu website for updates on these events) All Panels will be held after school in the 8th Floor Teacher’s Cafeteria.
Architecture Programs Wednesday, April 18th, 3:15pm-4:30pm
Engineering & Aerospace ProgramsWednesday, April 25th, 3:15pm-4:30pm
Media & Design Colleges Wednesday, May 2nd, 3:15pm-4:30pm
Science ProgramsWednesday, May 9th, 3:15pm-4:30pm
Liberal ArtsWednesday, May 16th, 3:15pm-4:30pm
Spring 2011 College Fair:
Students and parents are invited to attend the Spring 2012 College Fair which will start immediately following the May 5th SAT Exam. Representatives from over
100 colleges will be in attendance and it is a terrific opportunity to learn about schools and meet College representatives.
Date: Saturday, May 5th Time: 1pm-4pmLocation: Brooklyn Technical High School, 7th Floor Student’s Cafeteria
For a listing of College Office attendees, please refer to the “College Office” section of the bths.edu website as the date of the Fair approaches.
Spring 2012 SAT &ACT Exam Dates:
SAT ACTExam Dates Exam Dates: March 1 February 12 May 5 April 9June 2 June 11
To sign up for the SAT go to www.collegeboard.edu.To sign up for the ACT go to www.act.org.
Additional events and updated information will be available on www.bths.edu. Also, College Office emails are sent out through the Naviance website, so please make sure your email address is correct in that system.
Rosemarie MazzoneDirector of College ServicesBrooklyn Technical High School 29 Fort Green Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217 (t) 718-804-6590 (f) [email protected]
Junior Information Night March 14.
9.TECH PARENT NEWS February 2012
Upcoming SAT ClassThis class will prepare students for the SAT Test.
Our program offers:
• 12 hours of extensive hands-on instructio
• Maximum class size ten students
• Strategies to improve focus, intensity and endurance
• Two Simulated SAT Test
• Experienced SAT prep instructors
Prep for March 10 SAT Begins: Classes start Feb 19th Classes: Monday 6pm – 8pm
Exam(s): Sunday 10am – 2pm
Prep for May 5 SAT Begins: Classes start March 12th or April 16th Classes: Monday 6pm – 8pm Exam(s): Sunday 10am – 2pm
Space is Limited. Register Now!
Cost: includes all instructional materialsLocation: 2044 86th Street 2nd FloorCall to register: (718) 333 – 9633Email: [email protected]: www.aimprep.com
Dear Brooklyn Tech Parents,If you knew a $25 contribution could make the difference
between your child getting their dream college and career opportunity and them having to settle for something less, you would gladly spend the money, right?
Well it could. Your gift to the 2011-12012 PTA Fund Drive helps provide
opportunities each Tech student needs to succeed. We know it’s true because the Tech PTA does it every year with teacher grants, school supplies, support for after school clubs and teams, college campus trips etc....
Brooklyn Tech students all have something in common – they accomplish amazing things everyday. Brooklyn Tech parents also have something in common – we all want the finest High School education for our children.
Your contribution of $25 or more to the 2011 PTA Fund Drive helps us all reach these shared ambitions and common goals. Where else can you get so much for so little?
Come to our next PTA meeting and see what is getting done. You can find our meeting schedule at brooklyntechpta.org
On the PTA purchase of Track Equipment
“Getting the new steeple has really had an impact
on my running. It has made a huge difference
being able to practice with the equipment that
other teams have for their practices.”
Michael Coogan, Tech Class of 2010
2nd Place, Steeplechase, NYC Championship
8 ONLINE Go to http://brooklyntechpta.org and the PayPal button to contribute with your credit or debit card. You can give a one time amount or spread your contribution out over time.
Give a little, get a lot. Your gift of $25 or more to the 2011–2012
PTA Fund Drive helps provide opportunities each Tech Student needs to succeed.
? BY CHECK Or fill out this form and send back to us with your check. Please print clearly so we can fill out your receipt and list you in the next PTA newsletter. Make checks payable to BTHS PTA and mail to BTHS PTA, 29 Ft Greene Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217.
Amount (please circle) $25 $50 $100 Other (please specifiy) Your Name Student’s Name Grade: Address City/State/Zip Phone E-mail
Make your donations go further by exploring if your employer offers Matching Gifts. You might be surprised how many organizations do! The PTA is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) so your donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Parents with engineering backgrounds are needed to participate in the interview of candidates for the Assistant Principal of Career & Technical Education (Engineering) on Tuesday, February 7th. This is called the C-30 process by the Department of Education. If you are able to help, please contact Parent Coordinator Mei Chan at [email protected] by Friday, February 3 at the latest.
